KARACHI, May 25: A public sector medical university for the first time in the country has performed bariatric surgery (weight loss surgery) in Karachi.

The Centre of Bariatric Surgery of the Dow University of Health Sciences performed bariatric surgery on three male and two female patients — aged between 19 and 52 years, said DUHS vice chancellor Prof Masood Hameed Khan at a press briefing on the university’s Ojha campus.

Prof Mohammad Masroor, principal of the Dow International Medical College, and Prof Mohammad Jawaid, bariatric surgeon of the DUHS, shared the outcome of the surgeries.

Prof Khan said obesity was a major health problem throughout the world and had reached an epidemic proportion.

“Evidence continues to suggest that obesity is a major risk factor for many diseases and is associated with morbidity and mortality. Bariatric surgery is currently the only modality that provides a significant, sustained weight loss for the patient who is morbidly obese, with resultant improvement in obesity-related comorbidities,” he said.

He said that the DUHS first time in the public sector decided to offer a weight reduction programme, including surgical option of baristric surgery.

“This programme is comprehensive with multidisciplinary team approach including experienced endocrinologist, nutritionist and bariatric surgeon that helps lose excess body weight.”

Prof Jawaid said that 22 per cent male and 27 per cent women were obese in Pakistan and most of them belonged to urban areas. Some 1.5 billion people were suffering from obesity worldwide, he said.

“Obesity is a health issue that has attracted concern only in the past few years. The Centre of Bariatric Surgery, DUHS, started bariatric surgery — which is the most recent and advanced surgery — and sleeve gastrectomy — which is safe and effective in losing weight — and are being done in developed countries like the UK and the US. It is a highly economical treatment,” he said.

He said that with the surgery patients started reducing their weight without any complication.

He said the five patients they performed surgery on had much higher body mass index (BMI) that ranged from 43 to 66, while a normal person should have 25 BMI.

Nehad Jawed, 19, one of the patients, said she was occasionally suffering from asthma and high blood pressure because of her weight, which was more than 130 kilograms.

She had reduced her weight by 30kg and was now feeling better.

Experts said with the excision of extra fats and stomach, a patient’s diet got normal, which helped them to maintain appropriate weight for longer time provided they refrained from taking sweets, fatty foods, etc.